Players, coaches and supporters of University of Sports HCM City celebrate their victory. Photos courtesy of organisers

HCM CITY — The University of Sports HCM City (USH) lifted the championship trophy after defeating Huế University in a tense penalty shootout at the National University Championship football tournament on October 30 in HCM City.

As the host team, USH enjoyed strong support from home fans. However, their opponents—the defending champions—proved to be formidable rivals.

Both sides engaged in a fiercely contested match, but neither managed to convert their chances into goals during regulation time. The tie had to be decided by a shootout, where USH converted all five penalty kicks while Huế University scored four.

This marks USH's third title, following previous victories in 2006 and 2010.

Players compete in the final match which ended 0-0 in the regulation time.

In addition to winning the team championship, USH claimed three individual accolades. Captain Đống Hoàng Hữu Hào was named Most Valuable Player, Nguyễn Anh Hào took home Best Goalkeeper, and Nguyễn Hữu Hoàng Phúc was named Best Coach.

Thủy Lợi University and HCM City University of Agriculture and Forestry shared third place. Meanwhile, Ngụy Phan Nam (Thủy Lợi University) and Nguyễn Lê Minh (HCM City University of Agriculture and Forestry) jointly claimed the Top Scorer award with three goals each.

Football was one of three sports featured at the National University Championship. The tournament brought together 46 teams playing a total of 102 matches across qualification and final rounds over two months.

Earlier, the volleyball and basketball championships also drew large crowds of enthusiastic supporters.

After five years of development, the championship has grown into a vital tournament network connecting higher education institutions nationwide, inspiring students and youth to embrace sports and active lifestyles.

This year, all three sports were recognised as official events of the National University Games 2026, which returned following an 11-year hiatus. The football final served as the closing event of the Games. — VNS